In its simplest form, writing is recording and it comes from the human desire to communicate. Furthermore, the best writing goes deeper and transforms an idea from the writer’s mind into words. However, for some individuals, there is a wall between the idea and conveying it into words; this barrier is often built by grammar and spelling difficulties and as a result, many people aren’t able to fully express themselves. Co:Writer Universal is a word prediction software designed to knock down this wall, making writing more accessible for all.
Co:Writer Universal is an expansion of its Co:Writer program, which has been helping students write for nearly two decades. The original program was limited to use on the desktop, but Co:Writer Universal covers all students’ most-used technology platforms including the iPad, iPhone, Chromebook and desktop computer–making the program available wherever students write. It saves documents in the cloud eliminating the hassle of saving and allows users to pick up on any device.
If students can write just 30% of what they want to say, this technology will work with them to produce the rest. As students begin writing, Co:Writer “predicts” what they’re trying to say and offers real time suggestions.
One of the new features found in the Co:Writer Universal program is data collection. Oftentimes, teachers may integrate the software in their classrooms for accommodations, but they have no record of its overall benefits. With Co:Writer Universal, student writing is always being monitored and teachers will be provided productivity and qualitative data.
In the productivity data, teachers can monitor what assistive technology tools are being used and how much students are writing with Co:Writer. Qualitative data analyzes how rich the students’ writings are: are they writing the same simple sentences over and over? Co:Writer Universal tracks the number of academic, connector and important words. Once this data is collected, teachers can then set writing goals with students and Co:Writer will track progress toward that goal.
Another added feature includes Topic Dictionaries. Over 4 million topic dictionaries are at the student’s fingertips covering all curriculum subjects. In order to find the desired topic, the first few letters of the topic name must be entered then the topic must be selected.
In close, Co:Writer Universal takes the simplicity and benefits of the original Co:Writer but increases the benefits with its spectrum of new features. For more information on this product, visit the Don Johnston website.